Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) Short Interest Up 35.0% in December

Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 11,460,000 shares, an increase of 35.0% from the December 15th total of 8,490,000 shares. Approximately 0.3% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 11,350,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.0 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on BCS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Barclays in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. StockNews.com raised shares of Barclays from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th.

Barclays Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE BCS traded down $0.04 during trading on Thursday, reaching $14.01. The stock had a trading volume of 24,295,547 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,206,365. The business's 50-day moving average price is $13.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $12.41. Barclays has a fifty-two week low of $7.07 and a fifty-two week high of $14.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.67, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 1.35. The company has a market cap of $50.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.53, a PEG ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 1.41.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $8.52 billion during the quarter. Barclays had a return on equity of 6.30% and a net margin of 17.83%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.42 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Barclays will post 1.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Barclays

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BCS. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in Barclays by 6.5% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,710,276 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $18,317,000 after purchasing an additional 104,617 shares during the period. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Barclays during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $149,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Barclays by 4.7% in the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,358,375 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $25,258,000 after acquiring an additional 105,857 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its holdings in Barclays by 190.9% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 3,661,086 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $39,210,000 after purchasing an additional 2,402,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Barclays during the second quarter valued at approximately $268,000. 3.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Barclays

Barclays PLC provides various financial services in the United Kingdom, Europe, the Americas, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. The company operates through Barclays UK and Barclays International division segments. It offers financial services, such as retail banking, credit cards, wholesale banking, investment banking, wealth management, and investment management services.